Calling all grooming hounds! If you’re a dedicated follower of Birchbox, you’ll be psyched to know that the game-changing, online club for the beauty and grooming industry, has opened its first brick-and-mortar in Manhattan. Located at 433 West Broadway in the heart of SoHo, Birchbox’s first freestanding emporium brings to life the 2000+ products from 250 brands seen until now only on its website, though unlike a Duane Reade, Beauty Bar or Sephora, Birchbox organizes its products by category so shoppers can compare products more easily or simply duck in to grab a full-sized version of their favorite product they discovered through one of Birchbox’s monthly tester mail outs.
The sleek, modern space even comes with numerous interactive digital stations and a B.Y.O.B (Build Your Own Birchbox) bar where newbies can pick up five sample size products for $15.
Launched in 2010 (and previously profiled here), Birchbox redefined the retail experience for the beauty and grooming industry by offering a monthly online subscription of tester products. Members could sample the very latest industry products and then go on to buy full-sized versions of the product if they liked them. Partnered with more than 8oo brands, the company now counts more than 8oo,ooo members, among them an ever-increasing number of gents, who in recent years have been spending more money on their appearances. (As one company spokesperson at Thursday’s opening joked, when a guy finds something he likes, he’ll take eight of them.) To that guy, we’d like to say, this store doesn’t disappoint.
On hand were a slew of products that many men have never heard of, including face oils by Plant, under eye patches by Recipe for Men, brushless shave cream by Schulz & Malley, aftershave by Proraso, fragrances by Arquiste, hair wax by Hanz de Fuko, muscle rub by Lucky Tiger and bamboo charcoal soap by Herbivore Charcoal. Secretly want to try Bálla Powder, the below-the-belt, anti-chafing solution for hot summer days? Birchbox’s got it right here. As the old adage goes, don’t knock it till you try it.
